


Finding a family

by astracrits



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dedue Molinaro-centric, Dedue Week (Fire Emblem), Gen, This man is so blessed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-19 14:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22178854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astracrits/pseuds/astracrits
Summary: Dedue had something taken from him, but he learns that things are not as they seem, and suddenly, he realizes something he was looking was there all along. Dedue Week day 4 - Family
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Finding a family

What is family to someone who couldn’t know one in his life? What is the feeling of growing with someone you could depend on, who would teach you things you never imagined in your life, who would be the one to teach you about good or evil. Who would be the one to give you a tender kiss on the forehead when you got hurt, or just needed it?

He didn’t know those things, or rather, he must have forgotten after some years passed. There was nobody he could talk to after his day was over, or someone he could share a laugh with at the end of the day, no one to tell him they were proud of him.

That was Dedue’s life, devoid of any parental care. Some people didn’t it need, though, because sometimes having those figures in your life could prove worse, but for Dedue, who once knew it, and was taken from it, it was devastating.

Truth be told, the days where Dedue missed his family were more than he liked to admit. It was something he cherished, literally a part of his life that was ripped away from him. He often got mad when he remembered the injustice, but there was nothing he could do, only get angrier and angrier for not feeling powerless.

So much that-- “Dedue, are you with us?” Dimitri’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Y-yes, your majesty.” He looked at the blonde man, and then the multitude of people in the room, his former classmates, his friends. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head softly, sighing.. “I must say I’m not. I didn’t listen to what you were saying.” At least he could tell them what he was doing.

“Lately, you seem to be lost in your thoughts, Dedue. Is something wrong?” Mercedes asked, putting a hand on his arm. War had taken a toll on everybody, it would be natural if something was ailing him.

Dedue managed a smile. “No, Mercedes, but thank you for your concern.”

At that, Felix scoffed. “Right. We’ve all seen how distracted you’ve been these days, you even left the boar get hit the other day.”

It was true. He had been so out of his mind that Dedue got careless. At a skirmish, he had forgotten to cover the king’s side against a lance fighter that zeroed in on them. It was quick, but at the last moment, Dedue managed to throw his huge shield and knock the enemy away.

He had a pained expression in his face, it was something he couldn’t deny. “That is true, and I apologize for that, I should’ve done better.”

Felix was tired of the whole thing even before it started. He didn’t even care about Dedue that much to actually sit and talk with him. “Look, boar protector, why don’t you just tell us what’s going on?” Not that he was going to listen.

Dimitri seconded the plan. “I agree, friend. If there is something we can help you with, please, be sure to tell us.”

Dedue felt a sting in his chest. He didn’t want to share what he was feeling. Not because he was ashamed, but because he thought it was silly to bother everybody with something like that, when they were gathered for another reason. “I was… thinking about my family,” he finally said after some silent moments. Dedue looked at Dimitri, who gave him an apologetical look, but who also nodded to tell him he could speak his mind freely. “As you all know, they were killed when Duscur was destroyed. All these years later I thought I would move on, but it seems they still manifest in my thoughts.”

Dimitri was the first to speak, feeling sad for his dear friend. “I feel the same sometimes too. I’m sorry to say this, but that’s a feeling that never goes away, no matter what you do. I can tell you, though, that they would be so proud of you for becoming the man you are.”

Ingrid thought for a moment. She didn’t have any direct family that passed away, but the love of her life was killed, so she sympathized as well. “Yeah, but you know? Family doesn’t instantly mean blood. You know how the old saying goes, the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

“That’s right!” Annette followed, walking closer to Dedue. “That means that relationships formed by choice can grow to be more meaningful than those you were born with!” She giggled. There was a close bond between all of them. “I personally feel like all of you are my family.”

Dedue thought for a moment, unsure of what to say. Could that be correct? To feel closer to them than he did with his family? His mind raced to find memories of his family, and they were there, but they were soon flooded by memories of Dedue spending time with his friends.

And the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like so.

There was a time where he knew Dimitri was in peril during the war, that he would die if he continued through that path. But it wasn’t only that, Dedue was going onto a path that wasn’t correct either, both would end up destroying themselves if they continued. They had to stop, and when they reunited, they both had a change that told them they were more than just a lord and a vassal, a sword and a shield. They had a bond so strong that it was unbreakable. Dimitri taught Dedue so many things and he was grateful for it. He gave him a second chance at life, and for that, he was grateful.

Mercedes taught Dedue that life just wasn’t about protecting Dimitri, that it could be so sweet in a literal sense. She was always so calm and she helped him understand that it was okay if he took some moments for himself, so that he could relax and have fun. That was something he truly needed.

Annette showed Dedue that he had a caring side inside of him, his life didn’t belong to the battlefield, and he could even sing songs about it. Trivial things that weren’t related to war could be so fulfilling.

Ashe shared so many of his passions, and he had such an outlook on life that Dedue could emulate. He was a true friend, who taught him the value of caring for someone other than yourself--or Dimitri.

Ingrid taught Dedue that despite initial judgements, people could change for the better, atone for their mistakes, own up to them and do better each time. There so many lessons that Ingrid and Dedue learned together that made her an invaluable ally to him.

For him, Sylvain wasn’t a person he would expect to learn something from, but he showed him that appearances can be deceiving. He learned that Sylvain was one of the smartest people he knew, who told him stuff he never dared question ever in his life. The lessons in flirting were an added extra, but Dedue knew that Sylvain was just as flawed and as blessed as he was.

Even Felix was there. One of the most important lessons he taught Dedue was to stand up for himself, to not let anybody call him names or blame him for things he didn’t do. While the blue-haired boy didn’t realize he had done that, Dedue knew what everything meant. Even if he didn’t like him that much, he would protect Felix like he did with Dimitri and everybody else.

The more Dedue thought about it, he knew that everybody was correct. Family didn’t have to necessarily mean blood, it could be people you went to class with, who fought with you, who you won the war with. Family meant more to him now, the word didn’t seem so empty and meaningless now.

_ He had found a family and he hadn’t realized. _

“I can’t disagree with that,” Dedue said, a smile and blush in his face. He looked at each of his friends, who now each held a piece of Dedue’s heart in them. “I’m grateful to have met everybody. I know I wasn’t very talkative then, or now for that matter, but I appreciate each and every one of you.”

Sylvain chuckled, putting his arm around Dedue’s shoulder. “Yeah, you could say that again.” Everybody, including Dedue, laughed. “But you seem happier than before.”

“I know, I feel happier, strangely.”

Everybody else huddled together to give Dedue a group hug. Any other time it would’ve been a little inappropriate, but right then… it felt just right, like even if they wanted to, they couldn’t have felt a better moment than to do it right then.

Because family are the people who accept you for who you are, who are proud to have you in their lives, people whose only job is to celebrate you, who can only cherish you for being you. Their support is unconditional, and they’ll never leave you alone.

_ The Blue Lions were Dedue’s family, then, and forever. _

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to follow me on twitter @legion_scatter and on tumblr @astra-crits if you want to see more of my content! Writing for Dedue is always such a pleasure.


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